No stemming the research

Indian Council of Medical Research?s decision to lay down guidelines for stem-cell research is welcome.

The Indian Council of Medical Research’s decision to lay down specific guidelines for stem-cell research is welcome. It will end the vagueness about the policies needed to regulate research in our premier institutions. Stem cells are master cells with the ability to develop into any of the body’s tissue types, such as blood, liver, muscle and other cells, and can be extracted from human embryos. These cells can be grown in the lab and ‘programmed’ to form specific tissue like kidney, heart or even brain tissue, which could treat diseases like Parkinson’s, diabetes and Alzheimer’s or provide an alternative to organ transplants.

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It’s also possible to use these cells in cell-based therapies and for screening new drugs. The process is controversial and the rules remain unclear in many countries. Thus the comparatively liberal outlook of countries like Austria, Ireland, Norway, and Poland in this regard clash with the restrictive policies — ranging from outright prohibition to permitting research on imported or previously established cell lines — of countries like Germany, Italy and the US. Scientists in the US and elsewhere who try to develop cell lines face many political and ideological problems. In fact, the Bush administration straitjackets all research ‘that harms human embryos’, and permits federal funds only for work on cell lines stored in different labs around the world.

This is actually a windfall for India that faces no such constraints and could take big strides in the field with its pool of research expertise. Since more cell lines are essential for research, it would be a good idea to develop newer technologies that can tap such areas as umbilical cord blood cells. That said, the major source of stem cells here are still embryos from fertility clinics and in-vitro procedures. So any policy for overseeing and monitoring stem cell research must also ensure that the technology is not hijacked for illegal activities like ‘sex determination’ and commercialisation.